I am a writer, journalist, and teacher based in Beacon, New York, in the Hudson Valley. I’m the author of BOOKED: A Traveler’s Guide to Literary Locations Around the World (2019); BREAK IT UP: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America’s Imperfect Union (2020); and FEAR NO PHARAOH: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery (2025).

I have had articles published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Slate, Raritan, The Baffler, and elsewhere. I’m a contributing writer to The Nation and Hudson Valley magazines, in each of which I write a monthly column about history. I also write “Only United in Name,” a (very) occasional newsletter, and I teach journalism at Marist College in Poughkeepsie.

I am available to speak to schools, book clubs, reading groups, companies, and other organizations about my work. The best way to contact me is by e-mail; I can’t necessarily respond to every message but I try to read them all.